https://mgsloan.com/posts/ergo-update-coworking/

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1</head><body><article id="content" itemscope><header><h1>Ergo update:<br> co-working experiment</h1><p><a href="/" class="author">mgsloan</a><br><time datetime="2021-07-08" itemprop="datePublished">2021-07-08</time></p></header><hr class="hairline"><p>In November I moved a bit west of where I had been living in Boulder,
2Colorado. My reasoning was that not a whole lot was happening in town,
3so may as well live closer to nature and closer to snowboarding. It has
4been a wonderful winter and spring!</p><p>Lately I've found myself wanting to spend more time in Boulder – taking movement classes, visiting friends, etc. So, I tried out renting
5a dedicated desk at a co-working space called <a href="https://kiln.co/locations/boulder">kiln</a>. Overall Kiln was
6great – nice natural light, beautiful space, and friendly people.</p><h2 id="oof-sitting---more-back-pain"><a href="#oof-sitting---more-back-pain"></a>Oof: Sitting -&gt; more
7back-pain</h2><p>My dedicated desk looked like this:</p><p><img src="./images/desk.jpg" alt="Desk in shared co-working space" width="1280" height="960"></p><p>So, not a sit/stand desk. There are rentable offices that have nice
8sit/stand desks, however, those spaces cost quite a bit more.</p><p>So, this ended up being an accidental experiment in sitting much more
9than usual for about 2 months. Unfortunately, after just a few weeks of
10this, I found myself facing lower back pain in the same spot I'd
11experienced it in the past, during snowboarding. It's entirely possible
12that I just happened to do something funky that day, but it seems
13unlikely, since I'd snowboarded a couple dozen times that season without
14issue.</p><p>So, my current hypothesis is that increased amounts of sitting had
15made my lower back more prone to injury. This theory is further
16supported, as it's been getting much better in the month since I stopped
17going to the coworking space and did not go into Boulder as frequently
18(involves a fair bit of sitting in a car or bus).</p><h2 id="rad-treadmilling-with-nice-views"><a href="#rad-treadmilling-with-nice-views"></a>Rad: Treadmilling with nice
19views</h2><p>One of the things that convinced me to try out Kiln was the
20availability of treadmill desks:</p><p><img src="./images/treadmill.jpg" alt="Treadmill desk with view of flatirons" width="1280" height="1707"></p><p>When in the space I typically used the treadmill an hour or two,
21which meant most of my time was sitting. I probably could have avoided
22this by intentionally spending most of my time at the treadmill desks
23and using a leaning stool like the <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Products-Leaning-Portable-Outdoor-Available/dp/B01I2N71Z8?tag=mgsloan06-20">Focal
24Mogo</a><sup><a href="#affiliate-note">$</a></sup> to make it more sustainable. This probably would have worked
25fine, as the the treadmill desks did not get all that much use by others
26in the office. But it wouldn't work if everyone took this approach, so
27could be considered an unfair use of the space in some sense.</p><h2 id="getting-back-into-outdoor-computing"><a href="#getting-back-into-outdoor-computing"></a>Getting back into outdoor
28computing</h2><p>It occurred to me that it was ironic that I was renting co-working
29space, as I so enjoy outdoor computing and would love to encourage
30others to do it more. Now that the weather is a bit warmer and the park
31restrooms are open again, I've been computing in the park in Boulder.
32Here is what my computer looks like while writing this post:</p><p><img src="./images/tree.jpg" alt="Computer strapped to a tree in a park in Boulder" width="1280" height="960"></p><p>See my <a href="/posts/tree-based-computing/">"Tree Based Computing"
33post</a> for more details on how this works. The blue behind the tree is
34a yoga mat which I've used for a bit of <a href="/posts/supine-computing/">supine computing</a>.</p><p>I'm very stoked with the shift to using parks / creekside areas as my
35"home base" in Boulder rather than an indoor space. It's been quite
36literally a breath of fresh air.</p><h2 id="side-note-new-approach-for-around-the-tree-paracord"><a href="#side-note-new-approach-for-around-the-tree-paracord"></a>Side-note:
37new approach for around-the-tree paracord</h2><p>I recently realized a small improvement to my tree setup. Previously
38I'd been putting a <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01COUOCG6?tag=mgsloan06-20">paracord
39tie-down</a><sup><a href="#affiliate-note">$</a></sup> around the tree, and using carabiners to attach to it. By
40using the adjustable clip hooks from three of these tie-downs, it's now
41all in one convenient unit:</p><p>

41<img src="./images/quad-hook-paracord.jpg" alt="paracord tie-down with 3 adjustable clip hooks" width="1280" height="960"></p><p>The hooks on the ends clip together to secure it around the tree. The
42other two hooks are clipped onto the <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B00ARUQBRY?tag=mgsloan06-20">reusable
43"Mille-Ties"</a><sup><a href="#affiliate-note">$</a></sup> which go around the hinges.</p><p>I realized that the use of "Mille-Ties" is also different from what I
44describe in prior posts, where I instead used stiffer reusable zip-ties.
45Since the "Mille-Ties" are softer and bendier, there is no risk they
46will damage the laptop (particularly the screen). They are also
47generally less obtrusive to leave on the laptop.</p><hr class="hairline footnotes-divider"></hr><h2>Footnotes</h2><ul class="affiliate"><li id="affiliate-note"><p>Some links are amazon affiliate links, which sometimes send me a bit of money when you make purchases after clicking them. The purpose of this blog is sharing information and ideas, not making money. But I figure I may as well add them, and I appreciate usage of them! If you do feel inclined to show your appreciation for these posts directly in monetary form, feel free to <a href="https://buymeacoffee.com/mgsloan">buy me a coffee</a>.</p></li></ul><hr class="hairline comments-divider"><div id="comments"></div></article><section id="teaser-section"><div id="teaser"><p class="smcp">More words</p><h2><a href="/posts/reorder-args/">Type-Directed Permutation of Function Parameters</a></h2><p>Variadic functions + unordered application. <a href="/posts/reorder-args/" class="smcp">Read</a></p></div></section><footer><div id="footer"><p id="notices" class="smcp"><a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">Copyleft 2018-2024</a> <span id="breakdot">·</span> <a rel="author" href="https://mgsloan.com">Michael G Sloan</a> <span id="breakdot">·</span> <a href="https://github.com/mgsloan/mgsloan-site">Site Code</a> <span id="breakdot">·</span> <a href="/feed.xml">Feed</a></p><p id="profile-links" class="smcp"><a href="https://github.com/mgsloan">GitHub</a> <span id="breakdot">·</span> <a href="https://twitter.com/treetopian">Twitter</a></p></div></footer><dark-mode-toggle></dark-mode-toggle>

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